Little Peridot Needs a Weapon
by The Overly-Enamoured
Summary: The Great and Lovable Peridot is a gem of many talents; but even she can admit when she needs assistance. Surely, the Gems will be able to help Peridot summon her weapon. Or at least drive her insane.
1. Finding Your Way

Outside the barn, near the grassy hillside, Little Peridot was watching the sunrise. She lay in the grass idly, lost in thought.

You see, our little alien had a bit of a dilemma that she was trying to mull over.

It seemed as if every one of her gem companions had a weapon of some sort. Whether it was a pair of gauntlets, a bullwhip, or even a shield, all of the Crystal Gems possessed the power to summon arms from their being.

Everyone, that is, except Peridot.

She never really considered it, at first; she was a technician, after all, and had little use for such techniques in her line of work. Then again, upon taking residence on Earth, she began question a lot of things. And of course, just because her class defined her previous existence, didn't mean it defined what she was capable of. A certain pearl's apparent combat prowess had demonstrated this quite clearly.

Little Peridot sat up.

"Of course!" she said to herself. "I'll go ask an expert!"

* * *

So she did just that.

"Oh, you wish to know how _I_ learned to summon my weapon?" asked Pearl in response. She had just finished drying off the dishes, placing them aside on the countertop to gaze thoughtfully ahead. "Well, it was shortly after the start of the Rebellion, and Rose had insisted upon ensuring everyone was fully equipped for combat." The slender gem's gaze softened as it settled upon the portrait of said leader. "Oh, you should've seen the way she commanded our forces! Not a single general could match the brilliance of our tactics. I remember when I first took the front line of…"

But Pearl was too busy being thirsty.

She didn't even notice Little Peridot as she marched away, determined to find someone with a bit more focus.

* * *

Garnet seemed the natural choice.

"You want to know how to summon a weapon?"

"Yes! Can you teach me?"

"Hmm…" The fusion held her chin in her hand, pausing for effect. "Yes."

"Great!"

…

…

…

"Well?"

Garnet suddenly raises her hands, the gemstones in her palms igniting a purple light. Her voice nearly shatters reality:

 ** _"_** ** _You must link your mind with the energy of all existing matter- channeling the collective power of the universe through your gem!"_**

Peridot is close to fainting, the gravitas of the situation too much for her to bear. Though she has no idea why.

 ** _"_** ** _Which results in…"_**

With a stylish display of her limbs, Garnet effortlessly summons her gauntlets, which materialize onto her fists.

"At least, that's _my_ way of doing it."

It takes several minutes for Peridot to recover from her aneurism.

* * *

After experiencing what she conjectured to be a state of mental psychosis, Little Peridot concluded that she needed advice from someone a little more approachable.

That being said, Amethyst was much easier to talk to.

"Heeey, homegirl. What's goin' on?"

Ignoring the quartz's rather frightening way of ingesting food, Peridot gets right to the chase and asks for her advice.

"A weapon, huh? Mmm…" The purple gem swallows her last sub whole before continuing. "I dunno, I usually just… do it, y'know?" She plopped down from her perch to land beside the technician. "You've gotta just _feel it_ , deep in your **_guts_** **.** " Peridot flinches at the poke to her abdomen. "We gotta find out what _your_ guts are tellin' you! C'mon, let's go!"

"W-wait," Peridot stumbled as she was dragged along by her touch-stumps. "Where exactly are you- wooah-!"

"Just go with it, P-dot! We've got a looong way to go…

* * *

Apparently, Amethyst's idea of "training one's 'guts'" had to do with gravity-defying stunts, travelling at neck-breaking speeds, and other such activities that left poor Peridot with more scrapes and bruises than she'd ever care to receive.

Once she finally escaped from the quartz's overly-zealous influence, Little Peridot took a moment to breathe, despite having a need for oxygen. After recomposing herself, she was left with a feeling of dread. Was there no one who could possibly help her?

Unless…

"I'm a genius!"

* * *

Little Peridot gazed intently on the gem before her. Who better to learn from than a gem who possessed centuries of combat experience?

"Jasper, I need your help."

The bubbled gem said nothing.

"I need to learn how to summon my weapon! You're the only one who can teach me!"

Still nothing.

"…Please?"

…

….

….

"Fine then! Be that way!" Frustrated, the green gem kicked the pink bubble across the chamber. Turning around, she cursed under her breath as she exited the room. "I knew I shouldn't have asked someone so **_useless_**."

* * *

It was hopeless.

Out of all the people she'd asked, no one seemed to have the answers Little Peridot was looking for.

She stalks miserably to the television, stopping next to the sitting Lapis Lazuli and falling flat on her face. In the background, she can hear the telltale sounds of Camp Pining Hearts' opening pilot.

The blue gem notices her and looks down at the pitiful display next to her. "You okay there, Peridot?"

She receives a muffled reply.

Lapis raises an eyebrow. "What?"

The muffled words become slightly louder.

"I can't understand you."

"I CAN'T SUMMON MY WEAPON!"

This earns a surprised expression from the water gem. "Oh." She blinks. "That sucks."

Peridot lazily sits up, her arms wrapping around her knees. She turns to her roommate. "How do you do it?"

Lapis doesn't really know how to respond to that. So she shrugs.

"RRRRRRGH!" the green gem throws her hands in the air, before letting her head fall onto her knees. "I can't get an answer from anyone! Pearl's a basket case, Amethyst nearly killed me, and I don't even **_understand_** what Garnet does!" A small sob escapes her lips. "Why does it have to be so _difficult?"_

Lapis hums to herself worriedly. The water gem can't help but take pity on her companion. Suddenly, she gets an idea. Smiling, she stands up and unfurls her wings.

"Wait here," she assures the green blob. "I think I know someone who can help."

* * *

"Hey, Peridot."

"Steven."

The boy glances behind him, seeing Lapis and the others urging him forward. He takes a couple steps through the grass to sit beside Peridot. They watch the sunset together before he speaks.

"You know, when I first started living with the gems, I had no idea how to summon my weapon."

She lifts her head, only slightly, to look at him.

"Yeah, it took me a long time to finally figure it out. One time, I was even convinced that it came from eating ice cream!" Steven laughs to himself at the memory. Peridot remains silent. He takes a deep breath before continuing.

"I realized, later on, that there's no real, right-or-wrong way of using your gem. It's different for everyone."

"Each of us has to find out our own way of doing things. That's how I learned how to summon my shield." He lifts his shirt to look at his gem. "I think about what's important to me, the things I care about, the people I love; and how I'd do anything to protect them." Letting go of the shirt, he turns his eyes back to Peridot. "But that's just how it works for me. Pearl, Garnet, Amethyst- even Lapis has their own way of doing things. Finding out who we are, and what we want to be, is part of that." His hand rests on her shoulder. "And I know that somehow, you'll find your own way too."

Peridot sits up slightly. "But how long do I have to wait?"

Steven shrugs with his arms. "It might be today, might be tomorrow- maybe even later than that." He stands up. "But however long it takes, you're still Peridot. Whether you've figured it out or not, we wouldn't be the same without you." Smiling, he reaches a hand out to peridot. "And when you _do_ figure it out, it'll be in your own, Peri-ish way."

Peridot takes his hand and stands up.

"Yeah," She pauses, before grinning. "Hey, yeah! I'll figure it out all on my own- after all, I **_am_** the single most resilient Crystal Gem! Why, I'll bet I'll have it figured out by tomorrow , it's just a matter of time before…"

"Oh, great," Pearl groans. "Look what we've done now."

Garnet smiles knowingly. "That's our Peridot."

Lapis tilts her head. "Can we get rid of her now?"

Everyone laughs.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** I might add an omake to this at some point. Who knows?


	2. Omake 1: Peridot's Little Friend

**AN: How's about we have a little fun with this? Let's dedicate a chapter for each scenario in which our little P-Dot summons a different thing from her gem. If you have an idea, be sure to post it here so I can take a look at it. After all, there's no telling what could happen canon-wise- the possibilities are endless!**

* * *

Steven is just lounging on the couch, reading a magazine and minding his own business, when the alarm is raised.

The alarm, of course, being the telltale shriek of Pearl's oncoming panic attack.

"SHE'S GOING TO DESTROY US ALL!"

Naturally, Steven is confused. "Who's doing what now?"

His question is soon answered by the shattering of the glass window, giving way to the sound of hundreds of tiny projectiles ripping through the Beach House foyer.

Being the ever-diligent Mother Hen that she is, Pearl of course whisks Steven away just in time before the couch- along with his reading material- is demolished.

"Aw, I was gonna finish reading that..."

"There's no time for that, Steven! We have a major problem, here." Garnet almost seems to appear out of thin air, with Amethyst not far behind her.

"What's with all the noise, guys?" the purple gem yawns briefly. "I was getting my nap on."

Pearl swivels around, spear in hand. "It's Peridot! She is _completely_ out of control! If we don't stop her, she's going to-"

The front door (or what was left of it) is blown to bits by the oncoming fire of green bullets, ripping through the air in a cloud of smoke. Left standing is Peridot, her monstrous companion of a weapon held tightly in her grasp.

"Nyeheheheheh! My time has arrived!" She cackles, a dangerous gleam in her eye. "Behold my glorious evolution!"

Steven and the Gems hastily take cover, their screams muffled in comparison to the next barrage of bullets coming from the deranged technician.

Who would've thought Peridot would get her hands on a minigun?


	3. Omake 2: Let Thy Aim Be True

"One more time, Peridot!"

The short green gem gives a determined shout as she plunges her touch stump into her gem, before finally bringing forth a glittering green object from her being.

Steven's eyes sparkle with anticipation. "Oh, wow! You've got it! C'mon, let's see what it is!"

She gave a frustrated scowl. "Almost… got it…!" With a final tug, she's able to summon a waist-height length of lime metal with a length of chord attached to it.

The boy cheers in celebration, while Peridot looks over the object, unimpressed.

"…What the heck is this supposed to be?"

"It's a bow!" Steven declares.

Peridot glances at the weapon over again, before responding: "No it's not."

"Yes it is!" Steven says before explaining, "A bow is also a name for a weapon." He takes the bow from her to demonstrate. "See, you pull the string back, like this- and then you notch an arrow, and let her fly!"

The technician is, again, not very impressed. "That sounds entirely primitive, not to mention incredibly impractical. I don't even have any of these 'arrows'!"

Steven hums to himself. Then, snapping his fingers in epiphany, he replies: "Wait a second, I know just the gem for this!"

* * *

After the ensuing shock of witnessing the appearance of Opal-(she still couldn't get used to that!)- Peridot sets forth to practicing with her newfound weapon. They spend a significant amount of time before she (finally) is able to summon arrows to use at will. Next on the training regimen, according to the fusion, is to start learning how to aim and fire at a specific target.

The equipment is easy enough to set up (with Steven's help, of course), and in no time at all, they were ready to begin.

"Watch closely," instructs Opal, "Do as I do." The enormously tall gem holds out her bow at arm's length, holds it in place and steadily draws back with her free hands. Peridot watches as a magnificent spectral arrow materializes, follows the motion with her vision spheres as the giantess releases the drawstring in a single, fluid motion. Pure photon energy shatters in the midday horizon, an explosion of light that the leaves the smaller two in awe.

"Wow," says Peridot, enthralled but slightly intimidated. She looks up at her mentor indignantly. "I'm supposed to do that?!"

Opal chuckles softly. "Just try to hit the mark," she points her pupil in the direction of the row of cans set up for the exercise. Instructing her so that her stance is straight and her aim is correct, she steps back to observe.

Peridot gives a hesitant glance back before doing as Opal showed her; she materializes an arrow, pulls back the drawstring, and—

"ACK!"

"A little more to the left!"

"CLOD-FRIGGING-"

"You can do it, Peridot!"

"WHY WON'T THIS-?!"

"Keep at it!"

After several more tries, spurred on by the encouragement of her companions (and also a fair amount of stubborn irritation), the green gem has finally had it- she aims for the clouds and relinquishes her shot.

"THERE! FINALLY!" She shouts in accomplishment, chucking her bow onto the ground and throwing her arms up in resignation.

Steven and Opal step forward to address her marginal success; the boy puts his hands on his hips and says, "Well, you got it to fly, at least." He covers a hand over his visage as he peers out past the Cliffside below. "I wonder where it landed, though?"

He quickly got his answer: from a distance, the sound of crashing glass can be heard, followed by a blaring car alarm accompanied by the repetitive automated cry of _"_ _ **MAAAYOR-DEEWEEY-!**_ _"_

And there they stand: Steven, Peridot, and Opal; they watch, horror-struck, at the shouting in tandem with chaos.

Opal is the first to speak. "…Perhaps we should continue this another time."

Peridot gives a quick nod, "Affirmative."

The fusion scoops up her companions, and all three of them scramble away near light speed, choosing to ignore the cry of some desolated soul screaming, _" **MY CAR!** "_

* * *

 **AN:  
**

Good lord, I'm terrible at this-what has it been, _months_ , since I last wrote something? Get it together! (Self-inflicted smack)  
Anyhow, here's the newest prompt; sent by **Night-has-came-to-haunt.** Thought everyone might enjoy an Opal appearance; it just feels so appropriate. (̶I̶n̶s̶e̶r̶t̶ ̶C̶u̶p̶i̶d̶ ̶r̶e̶f̶e̶r̶e̶n̶c̶e̶ ̶f̶o̶r̶ ̶V̶a̶l̶e̶n̶t̶i̶n̶e̶s̶'̶ ̶D̶a̶y̶ ̶h̶e̶r̶e̶)̶


	4. Jukebox Heroes: Part I

It came as a surprise to everyone when Peridot first brought forth her own weapon; mostly because at the time, she hadn't even intended to do so. Yet it was impossible for her to ignore, what with the searing pain in her back from having fallen. Betrayed by her own gravity connectors! Surely, her former Diamond was mocking her from light-years away!

Still, everyone seemed to be enthralled by the set of shiny roller blades that now adorned her limbs. Steven was even kind enough to offer to teach her to use them.

Which is what led to her now, knees bent at an awkward angle for what felt like the millionth time, once again attempting to cross the threshold of the barn. Steven gives her a thumbs-up from the other side of the threshold, arms outstretched and ready to catch her if she falls.

 _Not this time,_ she insists to herself. Moving with all the grace of a disgruntled elderly person, she pushes forward, inching one rigid foot after another. Her face is determined, and her figurative blood is boiling.

"That's it, Peridot!" cheers Connie from the sidelines. "You're almost there!"

It feels like hours before she finally reaches the other side, Steven steadying her arms as she lets out a powerful sigh. "Yay, you got it! I told you you could!"

The technician's eyes are sparkling in accomplishment. "YES!", she cheers, carefully raising her arms. "I am the Rollerblading Master!"

Connie trots over to congratulate her. "You did great!" she says, gesturing to her stop-watch. "It took seventeen tries, but you finally beat your record. At this rate, you might even be on par with Lapis!"

The water gem, clad in casual attire, slides into view on a skateboard, pulling off a McTwist before dismounting.

Peridot crosses her arms at her, glaring under her protective helmet. "Showoff."

Lapis' countering raspberry is almost forgotten with the sound of footsteps outside. Garnet charges in, accompanied by Amethyst and Pearl, weapons bared.

The fusion addresses them with her fists raised, "There's corrupted gems running amok in the city. We need extra help to drive them out."

The pair of humans practically brim with excitement at this sudden opportunity. "I'll go get my bike," Steven replies, jogging out of the barn.

Peridot glowers at this revelation. "I have to use _these_ ," she deadpans, pointing downward, "Don't I?"

Lapis pats the short gem's helmet. "Shouldn't be too hard for the 'Rollerblading Master'~"

"…Fine."

Garnet seems pleased with this result. She tilts her sunglasses in the other girl's direction. "Connie?"

The human purses her lips before responding, "Sure, but how am I going to keep up? I don't have any wheels!"

Amethyst steps forward, patting the girl on the shoulder. "You need wheels?" her form glows violet, shape-shifting herself into a scooter. " _I'll_ be your wheels!"

Pearl, having listened up to this point, indignantly asks, "Garnet, you aren't seriously suggesting we do a drive-by, are you? And besides, what are we supposed to—"

The fusion grins at her.

"Garnet."

Pearl knows that grin. She's known it for thousands of years.

" _Garnet."_

She knows the motivation behind that expression.

"Garnet, _no."_

She can almost taste the pure **_evil_** behind it.

" _NO, GARNET."_

Even as she's being dragged towards the motorcycle, she knows it's already too late.

" _GARNET, NO!"_

But that doesn't stop her from howling from her seat with a shriek that could pierce the heavens:

" _YOU KNOW I HATE THE SIDECAR!"_

* * *

Yes, it's a multi-parter; also, it's been since February. I'm such a monster.


End file.
